MRI upgrade: new 9.4T magnet to be installed soon

The new Bruker Biospec AVANCE neo system is funded by grants from the BBSCR and the Wellcome Trust. In the summer of 2018, a new MRI Bruker console was installed to replace the then 13-year-old Agilent console. In the autumn of this year (2020), the old 7T magnet will be replaced by a 9.4T one from Bruker.

The 9.4T MRI scanner will be equipped with high performance gradients, multinuclear capability and a range of head and body coils. Brain coils will increase resolution for high-resolution structural imaging (e.g. T1, T2, T2*, FLAIR) and wide-ranging specialist imaging techniques (diffusion tensor, perfusion, permeability and magnetisation transfer imaging, functional MRI, multinuclear spectroscopy, angiographic and flow quantification).

The 9.4T Bruker MRI will provide excellent imaging of the brain and specific peripheral organs. The upgrade from 7T to 9.4T enable higher resolution imaging,  faster acquisition times, and improved ¹H-spectroscopy. Furthermore, the support from Bruker with developing new imaging sequences and software as well as equipment maintenance will ensure the long-term sustainability of MRI facility.

Grants:

• BBSCR (BB/S019162/1): Longitudinal assessment of healthy brain structure and function across the lifespan using 9.4T Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Applicants: M Holmes, I Marshall, M Jansen, P Kind, G Hardingham, S-H Wang.
• The Wellcome Trust: Small animal magnetic resonance imaging of life course: from developmental diseases to dementia. Lead applicant: Prof Megan Holmes.